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Hoylake tame, but ready to bite

USA TODAY Sports
Published 5:53 p.m. ET July 17, 2014

Rory McIlroy watches his tee shot the third hole during the first round of the British Open.
(Photo:
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
)

Story Highlights

Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler were in a large group at 69

Defending champion Phil Mickelson, who hit his second shot out of bounds on the 18th hole, shot 74

High winds and rainy conditions should arrive late Friday and then stay through Saturday

HOYLAKE, England – In glorious, idyllic conditions, where nae wind and nae rain was blowing in off the Irish Sea and picturesque postcard images were abundant in every direction, players in the opening round of the 143rd British Open were licking their chops and chewing up the course.

The sharp teeth of sun-drenched Royal Liverpool Golf Club, otherwise known as Hoylake, were blunted Thursday in the soft breezes as flagsticks were still instead of blowing sideways.

As a result, the scoreboard showed 48 of the 156 players in red numbers and another 17 who matched par by day’s end, led by pace-setting Rory McIlroy at 6-under-par 66.

A stroke back was youngster Matteo Manassero. In at 68 were world No. 1 Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Jim Furyk, Shane Lowery, Brooks Koepka and the Molinari bothers, Edoardo and Francesco.

Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler were in a large group at 69. Defending champion Phil Mickelson, who hit his second shot out of bounds on the 18th hole, shot 74.

“It’s definitely the easiest it’s going to play all week,” Edoardo Molinari said.

While the wind did pick up a bit in the afternoon, Hoylake wasn’t Hoylake.

But if high winds and rainy conditions arrive as expected late Friday and then stay through Saturday, Hoylake will be Hoylake.

And that means a bear of a course, where the wind will blow errant tee shots into heather and pot bunkers and challenge every aspect of a player’s game.

Until then, however, with warnings scrolling across televisions cautioning viewers to intake fluids, wear a hat and apply sunscreen if they venture outside, players are going to attack the defenseless links.

“Anytime you shoot 66 at the Open Championship, you’re going to be pleased,” McIlroy said. “We had perfect scoring conditions out there this morning. There wasn’t much wind early on. There were plenty of opportunities to make birdies. I was able to take a few of them. Another great start and I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.”

But Fridays have been McIlroy’s bugaboo this season.

On six Fridays he hasn’t broken 40 for nine holes. This unusual stat started to get to him about two months ago and since then, he’s been scratching his head and pulling at his unruly hair trying to figure out what’s going on. He’s even gotten advice on what to do to break the pattern.

McIlroy also has the memory of shooting a blistering 63 to grab the first-round lead in the 2010 Open at St. Andrews, only to fire an 80 on Friday in the second round in high winds, shooting matching 40s.

“Whenever I go out and play on Thursdays, there’s not really many expectations. You’re going out there and you’re trying to find a rhythm, and you’re just trying to play your way into the round,” McIlroy, a former No. 1 and two-time major champion. “When you go back out on Friday after a good score, you know what you can do on the golf course. So you’re going out with some expectations. … I’ve just got to start off trying to hit solid shots the first few holes and play my way into the round, just like I did today.

“But really just take it one hole at a time, one shot at a time. I know everyone says it and you’ve heard it a million times, but it’s true. That’s what I’ll be trying to do tomorrow.”

Woods, who won the Open here in 2006 and made his first start in a major in 11 months, started his round with two bogeys but kept patient and then blitzed the back nine, making five birdies in a six-hole stretch.

“I felt good about a lot of things I did out there today,” said Woods, who had back surgery March 31 and had played just two competitive rounds in four months heading into the Open. “Especially coming back after that start I had, to fight myself back into the championship.

“I feel pretty good about it.”

Garcia felt pretty good about his round, too. He’s looking for his first major championship in 64 starts. The last time the Open was at Hoylake, he finished in a tie for fifth. He’s been close many times and is reminded of that often.

“I think that with experiences you have, yeah, you try to kind of ease up a little bit,” Garcia said about pressing in majors. “At the end of the day I realize that I’m out there trying to do my best. Obviously some days I feel it better than others. But if I’m doing my best I can’t ask myself for anything else.

“ … It’s only the first day. There’s so many things that can happen out there. It would be nice to put myself in a position to have a solid chance on Sunday, like I did a couple of times, and like I did in 2006 here. But still it’s only the first day. So we’re going to go a little step-by-step and hopefully keep shooting good scores, depending on how the weather is, and then see, like I said, if we have a good, solid chance on Sunday.”